Happy Birthday Frank Lloyd Wright!

08Jun

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered by many to be America’s finest architect. He was the creator and a promoter of organic architecture, a style which promotes harmony between architectural structures and the natural world. He was also a leader in the Prairie School architectural movement which focused on horizontal lines, broad overhanging eaves, solid construction and craftsmanship.

Wright was born on June 8, 1867 and there are a couple events coming up that pay homage to this great American visionary who the American Institute of Architects called “the greatest American architect of all time.”

On Friday, June 10, the Frank Lloyd Wright Birthday Celebration is taking place at the Wright designed Hollyhock House in East Hollywood. The Hollyhock House was originally designed for oil heiress Aline Barnsdale and was built during 1919 through 1921. The house, Wright’s second project in California, was the seventh site in Los Angeles to be designated a National Historic Landmark and is now the centerpiece of Barnsdall Art Park. The celebration will include period music by Jim Ziegler’s Swingsations with Wendy Rea, wine, a raffle and a silent auction.

Also, on Friday, June 10 in Spring Green, Wisconsin there’s Frank Lloyd Wright and Teliesin: A Retrospective with Pedro E. Guerrero. Guerrero was Wright’s photographer from 1940 to 1959 and will show a series of rarely seen photographs of Wright and Taliesin, Wright’s home and estate in Spring Green. Guerrero will speak about his photography and his personal connection with Wright. The event will be held in the “gateway” building to Taliesin which Wright designed in 1953 and offering am unforgettable view of the Wisconsin River.

Here’s a YouTube video I found of his 1992 birthday celebration at Taliesin.